


A match made in Hell

by Evil_Panda



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Character Death, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Love Confessions, Magic, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-19 00:29:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17591324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evil_Panda/pseuds/Evil_Panda
Summary: The story begins where the Dark Lord is reborn. A woman named Vesper Mallory will come to Hogwarts and reveal a story which was well hidden in the past. She was Snape's friend and Malfoy's girlfriend. She became a Deatheater. She was Voldemort's best companion. Why is she back to Hogwarts? Why does Dumbledore want Vesper near Snape? Find out by reading the story...





	1. Unexpected Guest

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!! This is a story I've been trying to write for several years now. It is not complete yet but with your help, I'll finish it soon :-))) English is not my mother language so I'm sorry in advance if you find any mistakes! Enjoy the story and let me know if you like it!

The Great Hall was full of students' voices and laughs. The light of the floating candles gave a sweet and warm hue to everyone's faces. Most teachers had taken their seats at the long table, but two were vacant. The Headmaster was the one missing, but also one other professor. Severus Snape was not at the table. The usual ghosts of the castle gently slid between the tables, talking to the students and making jokes. The Slytherin table was quiet as ever, but the same could not be said for the Gryffindor table.

However, as soon as the Headmaster made his appearance, taking the place on the pitch, everyone stopped talking.

“My warm welcome to everyone”, he said in his majestic voice echoing on the walls of the big hall. He smiled over his multifocal glasses. “Let me introduce you to the newest member of our teachers. Her name is Vesper Mallory”, he continued and stretched out his hand pointing to an elegant presence next to McGonagall. “Would you like to say a few words, dear?”

The female nodded and rose from her position gently. She walked to the Headmaster and turned her face to the students. Her appearance was frightening as well as particularly beautiful at the same time. She was tall, with a thin body and beautiful curves. She held her hands crossed in her chest and her black painted nails were evident, which was very rare for a teacher. Her face was oval with harmonious features, big cerulean eyes and full lips. She seemed to have a tattoo in her right hand which was not easily distinguishable due to her long dress sleeves. The posture of her body was very stiff and rigid. Her last feature that stole the show was her long, raven black hair that was in contrast to her pale white skin.

“Good evening students”, she spoke in a monotonous voice. “As the Headmaster previously said, my name is Vesper Mallory and I belong to the Slytherin House. I’m a pure blood witch and I have to say that up to fourteen generations ago, all my ancestors belonged to Slytherin House”, she paused for a moment, glancing over the Slytherin Table. The students seemed rather pleased by her words. “I am here to teach you Defence Against the Darks Arts because I know the subject quiet well. I used to be a Deatheater”, she declared with steady voice. Frightened whispers filled the room and most students seemed terrified. “Muggles often say that once you go black you never go back but I have to say that black magic isn’t my thing. I have tried it and I did not like it”, she turned to look at Dumbledore who was looking at her with so much pride in his old eyes. “I feel the need to thank you, Headmaster. Thank you for the opportunity to let me return back to normal.”

“I thank you for accepting the position, professor Mallory”, the older man smiled softly.

With a soft and respectful bow, Mallory returned back to her seat.

“Let the feast begin!”, Dumbledore announced and all the tables filled with food.

 

**_Later that night_ **

**_Dumbledore’s Office_ **

****

Just after the end of the dinner, the students were brought to their dormitories and Mallory was already in the Headmaster’s office as he had asked her before. The Headmaster was sitting behind his desk, with a papyrus in his hands and his gaze fixed on her. Vesper had already taken her seat in one of the two chairs in front of his office, her hands again crossed on her chest.

“I know what you’re going to ask me, Albus…”, she softly spoke, exhaling some air.

He smiled faintly. “Allow me to think that you don’t.”

“I’m listening then…”

“Well…”, he sighed. “Times are really difficult and you know that better than anyone. Voldemort is alive and you are in serious danger, Vesper. I can not risk the safety of the students for no reason. So I suggest that your lesson be in co-operation with the Potions course.”

“How this will help, Albus?”, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Severus Snape can help you protect the students in case on emergency.”

She huffed. “No, this is not the reason you want him in my lessons. You don’t trust me, Albus. You can say it. I will always be a Deatheater in your eyes!”

“Am I not the one who saved you from the Deatheaters?”, he let out a shaky breath. “Am I not the one who welcomed you back in Hogwarts when you didn’t have where else to hide?”

“Yes, but I am not allowed to step a foot outside the castle and believe me I do understand that”, she shook her head. “Only if Bellatrix knew how addicted was Voldemort with me…”

“My dear Vesper…”, he placed the papyrus on his desk and crossed his fingers, looking at her over his glasses. “That is why I want Severus Snape with you. They are after you and if Voldemort finds out that you are here, sharing the same roof with Harry Potter, he will do anything to penetrate into the castle.”

“Why him?”, she shrugged. “Why not Minerva?”

“I trust him more than Minerva”, he responded casually. “He’s like a son to me.”

Vesper was ready to say something when someone knocked on the door and her thoughts slowly faded.

“Come on in”, Albus fixed his attention to the door.

A fine, male figure wrapped in black came into the office with quick moves. You could not easily recognize the face, but Vesper knew that this man was familiar to her. She stood up from her chair as the figure approached the desk. As the hood fell on the back of the man, Vesper’s speculations were confirmed. He was Severus Snape. His black, like coal, eyes were still the same after all these years, just as his hair, like ebony, fell on his shoulders. The posture of his body, still hard and rigid as always.

“Good evening”, he said, voice like velvet. _As always._

“We meet again”, Vesper cocked an eyebrow, smirking. That was so amusing. The first time those two met was fifteen years ago in Hogwarts. He was already at his third school year when Vesper came to Hogwarts. It was that period when Snape had stopped hanging out with Lily Evans and Vesper was the one who approached him first. No one could say that the two of them had become best friends, but they certainly liked each other. Things got more difficult when Vesper started dating Lucius Malfoy. He was certainly a gorgeous young boy but with many requirements. When Vesper was with Lucius, he did not want others with them, so she eventually stopped hanging out with Snape. That was really hurtful, especially for Snape who thought that Vesper was very close to him. Even if he never admitted it. Shortly before graduation, Lucius broke up with her in the worst way. He revealed to her that, during their relationship, he was seeing Narcissa. Vesper was devastated and attempted to win back Snape’s trust but it was already too late. The ship of their relationship had sailed.

“Welcome back to Hogwarts”, Snape pulled her out of her thoughts. His voice was a little bit colder than before.

“It’s nice to see you, Severus”, she admitted with a faint smile.

“I wish I could say the same”, he said in return. “Headmaster”, his black orbs turned to Albus. “I would like to talk to you. Alone”, he pointed the last word.

“I think I should go back to my chambers”, she looked at the older wizard who was watching them carefully.

“No, actually, I have a better idea”, the Headmaster stood up from his chair. “You two go to your class and have a first meeting with the students.”

“What am I supposed to do when Vesper starts teaching?”, he asked.

“I can always use some help”, she looked at him but he didn’t even bother to do the same.

“I need to talk to you”, Snape insisted, ignoring the female.

“Alright, then”, the white haired man nodded. “My dear, Vesper, you can go to your class. Severus will be there after you in a while.”

“Sure, not a problem”, she walked to the door. “Have a nice evening Albus.”

 

When she stepped out of Dumbledore’s office, she looked again at the timetable of her courses. All lessons were four hours and were daily, with the exception of Friday where it was a free day. Monday with Gryffindors. The senior year. Perfect, she thought, rolling her eyes. How she adored that House.

She walked down to the long corridor and turned left. The path to the dungeons was long, as she remembered. The entire castle was quiet because obviously all students had already started their lessons. Only she had been late.

A few minutes later she arrived just outside the classroom. Behind the heavy wooden door sounded the loud voices of the students. With a sharp inhalation, she entered the classroom without knocking. The students’ faces turned sharply to her side and the noise reduced to a minimum. Vesper walked up to the only desk in front of students and turned on her heels to face them.

“Good evening”, she spoke, voice stone cold with no smile. “As you already know, I am Professor Mallory and I am your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. You are in your sixth year of study and I require that you have learned by the end of the semester the nonverbal spell.”

“We don’t even know what this is”, a male student interrupted.

“You will never interrupt me while I’m speaking”, she narrowed her eyes dangerously. “Five points from Gryffindor.”

The students sighed disappointed.

“Who knows what is a nonverbal spell?”, she questioned and a gingerhead girl raised her hand. “Your name?”

“Hermione Granger, professor.”

“Go on.”

“A nonverbal spell is a spell which is performed without saying the incantation out loud. Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you are about to perform, which gives you a split-second advantage”, explained the girl.

“That’s right”, Vesper nodded. “It’s not that-..”

Her speech was interrupted by the sudden opening of the door. It was Severus Snape. She grimaced once she lay eyes on him. He walked past her and settled on the chair behind the teacher’s desk with his arms crossed on his chest.

“I forgot to mention that professor Snape will accompany our lessons”, she said coldly to the students. “Act like he’s not here.”

The students looked at each other quizzically but none of them said a word.

“So…”, she started pacing around students’ desks slowly. “Performing spells non-verbally is very difficult and requires a good deal of practice, as it requires concentration and mental discipline alone. Different wand-woods may also affect the performance of casting non-verbal magic. Many wands made from Dogwood are rather noisy, and refuse to perform non-verbal magic, whereas wands of Pine are some of the most sensitive to non-verbal magic. Willow wands possess a well-founded reputation for enabling advanced, non-verbal magic, but of all woods, Alder is known as being the best suited for non-verbal magic. Some spells, such as _Levicorpus_ , are easier to perform nonverbally than others. Most spells, however, seem to be less effective than normal when the incantation is not said.”

A boy with round glasses raised his hand. That should be Harry Potter, Vesper could easily say. He had… his mother’s eyes.

“Yes, Mr. Potter?”

The boy frowned. “How do you know me?”

“This question is irrelevant with the class but I can tell you that I knew your mother”, she replied simply. “You already know that you have your mother’s eyes. So. What about the question Mr. Potter?”

He nodded. “How can we block such spells, professor?”

“That is a very good question, Mr. Potter. You have to be extra careful watching your opponent's moves. What about a demonstration?”

All of the students nodded. “Professor Snape?”, she turned to look at him. “Care to join me?”

“A duel?”, he smirked evilly.

“Sure thing”, she stared back into his dark eyes.

“Count me in”, he stood up at once.

“Let’s all go to the Great Hall”, she turned to the students.  


	2. Haunted Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will happen during the duel? Who's playing dirty?  
> The duel between Snape and Vesper will trigger something.  
> What is hidden in Vesper's past and how many things does Snape not know?  
> Let's find out...

Vesper and Snape led the students to the Great Hall and when they arrived, Snape took the initiative to change the room into a perfect dueling club. There was a long walkway in the middle of the spacious room and some stairs at the end and beginning of it. The students gathered around the walkway like bees around flowers. Curiosity was evident on their faces. The female teacher ascended the stairs with grace and looked around the students. When Snape joined her from the other side, she cleared her throat and spoke.

“I want all of you to notice very carefully the movements of the hands of professor Snape and mine. I will block any upcoming spells from professor Snape, in an attempt to train you how to recognize the origin of the spell. I’m gonna ask you about it, am I clear?”

The students nodded hastily. She shifted her cerulean gaze back to Snape and walked up to him, holding her wand. He mirrored her moves and when they neared one another, they bowed and turned their backs against each other. One step, two, three, four and five. She turned sharply to face him but he had already started to execute the spell. _Expelliarmus._ Vesper succeeded to block the spell at the last moment and glared at Snape. He should have waited her to prepare herself.

“Who knows which spell professor Snape chose to perform?”

Only Granger lifted her hand in the air. Vesper shook her head disappointed.

“Do tell us, Miss Granger…”

“It was _Expelliarmus,_ professor!”, the girl almost shouted.

“Indeed it was”, the female nodded. “How about another one, professor Snape”, she fixed her gaze on him again. The dark haired male stood for a moment but then he lifted his wand again. That time Vesper was prepared but she couldn’t even imagine which spell had crossed Snape’s mind.

_Imperio._

Vesper blocked the unfriendly spell with eyes wide open in pure shock. She was about to speak when Snape hit her again with another spell.

_Crusio._

This time the curse hit her forcefully and the woman begun screaming like a tornado was ripping her entire body into pieces. The pain was so unbearable, she wished she was dead. She fell to her knees with thick tears running from her blurry eyes. One moment she was struggling for her life and the next moment she felt like all the pain had left her body. Obviously Snape had reversed the curse. In the blur of her mind, she could hear the anxious whispers of the students. She was lying face down on the floor with sweat glistening on her skin and rapid breath.

“How… how dare… you…”, she stuttered, trying really hard to stand back on her feet, panting like an athlete. Her body was still shaking. “How dare you use an Unforgivable Curse on me??”

Many of the students gasped while hearing Vesper. It was strictly against the rules to use Unforgivable Curses under Hogwarts’ roof.

“You should be able to block them, professor Mallory”, he coldly said with his arms crossed behind his back.

“This is a pathetic excuse!”, she barked, on her knees with head hanging low and trembling hands wiping away what was left of thick tears. She was literally furious. “Class dismissed!!”, she shouted. “Get lost, Severus!”

One after the other, the students left the room in a mess of whispers and scared voices. What happened was outrageous. When the last student left and the large, double door of the room closed, she raised her poisonous look to him.

“I said, leave me alone, Severus!”, she growled, gaining her powers again. She stood up on her feet, cradling her wand. “You will be accountable to the Headmaster for what happened!”

“Why are you even here, Vess??”, he tumbled down his walls and showed rage and confusion.

Her breathing stopped when she heard his question. What to say to him? Suddenly all the anger that she felt about her assault disappeared. He called her with her nickname, like when they were friends and everything was so simple and beautiful. Vesper averted her gaze from him.

“I needed to hide somewhere”, she confessed. “So many things happened after I joined the Deatheaters. Things got out of hand when the boy survived. Tom was--..”

“Tom?!”, he literally hissed. “You call him like that??”

“Isn’t it his name??”, she snapped back to him.

“Oh, we need to talk”, he clenched his fists angrily. “Now! My chambers!”

With those words Snape walked away from her but she didn’t move.

“I said, now, Vesper!!”, he strictly inquired.

The witch sighed and just followed him outside the Hall.

A while later when they arrived at his private chambers, she was completely calm at last. First thing she noticed were the surroundings. Depressed, dark-colored walls covered with books and some crystal boxes containing objects of unknown origin. A small living room was in the left corner of the room, next to the fireplace and across from a desk full of papyrus. He gestured her to take a seat on an armchair. She accepted the offer and sat on the comfortable armchair with her hands on her lap.

“Would you like something to drink?”, he offered again as he sat beside her in another armchair.

“No, I’m good, thank you”, she politely replied without looking at him directly into his dark eyes.

“Tell me what happened. The whole story”, he requested without a trace of command in his voice.

“Everything started after the graduation…”, she started, playing nervously with her fingers. Still not looking at his eyes though. “As you know Lucius had graduated five years before me. He was already a Deatheater and engaged to Narcissa. I was still in love with him…”

“Go on.”

“How stupid I was. He wanted to use me. I learned that afterwards. I wanted so bad to be with him, Severus. I didn’t even care about Narcissa, so I started hanging out with him again secretly. Bellatrix was already in Azkaban so I had no other problems to deal with. The path to Lucius’ heart was finally open…”, she smiled sadly. “It was then when I first met Voldemort. He should look like a 50-year-old man but… not even close. He was a gorgeous young man with raven hair and black eyes. I still remember the first time I saw him… Lucius was with me but he didn’t look particularly happy with the way Voldemort had greeted me. _You wanted me to kill her?_ Voldemort had questioned him. I was shocked. Lucius wanted me dead. _Did you want her death because Narcissa is pregnant with your son?_ Voldemort had asked again. I was devastated. Lucius had betrayed me in the worst way possible. Not only he had been lying to me but he had also asked from Voldemort to kill me.”

“I didn’t know any of these…”, he shook his head in disbelief.

“There is more…”

“I’m listening.”

Vesper took a deep breath and continued. “I became a Deatheater right after that. I asked from the Dark Lord to allow me to work alone, away from the others and he accepted my request. Actually, he would accept any proposition coming out of my mouth. He was so mesmerized by me. So attached to me in any way.”

“Don’t tell me he was in love with you!”, Severus said ironically.

“No… He was not”, she looked at him for the first time since she began recounting the events of the past. “But whatever feelings he had for me, they surely reminded me of love. Anyway…”, she lowered her gaze back to her hands. “My life with him was weird. I killed so many people in his name… I did so many awful things for him… But it felt so right back then. In 1981 though, everything changed…”, she paused and looked up again in his eyes.

“Go on”, he clenched his teeth.

“I know how difficult it is for you to--..”

“I said, go on.”

“Alright…”, she nodded. “I knew about the prophecy, Severus. I was fully aware of Voldemort’s plans. I was there the night he killed James and Lily…”

“You…”, he stood up in shock. His eyes were wide open. “You were there?? Why didn’t you stop him??”

“Listen to yourself, Severus!”, she snapped at him. “Who could possibly stop him?? He wanted that boy dead no matter the cost!! And don’t forget that everything was your fault! You told him about the prophecy! Not me!”

Snape knew that she was right. Averting his gaze from her, he just clenched his fists even more.

“When Voldemort’s body was destroyed, I remained hidden behind the trees and waited for your arrival. A few hours later you appeared and--..”

“Stop”, he cut her off abruptly. “I know the story, Vesper. Tell me what happened afterwards.”

“I ran to Dumbledore just like you did… But he kept me away from you. I was still a bad influence for his faithful servant…”, she mocked but Snape didn’t react. “Dumbledore helped me find a job at the Ministry of Magic, because I was that smart… I was working at the Department of Mystery until this year.”

“Until Voldemort regained his powers and his body and tried to find you.”

“Exactly…”

“I see”, he sat back to his armchair again. “I want to apologize about earlier. I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Vesper finally smiled but with a hint of irony hidden behind the small smile. “No, you just wanted to torture me. How unlike you, Severus.”

“Mhm”, he crossed his arms before his chest, looking at her. “Are you still in love with Lucius?”

“Are you out of your mind?”, she cocked an eyebrow, staring at him. “Of course not.”

He just nodded indifferently.

“What about you? Are you still in love with Lily?”

“None of your business”, he replied coldly.

“So typical of you”, she said with a sigh as she stood up. “I better get going. It’s pretty late.”

“I agree.”

“Good night, Severus.”

“Good night.”


	3. Be careful with your Thoughts

**_Three months later_ **

****

The days passed very quickly for everyone, especially for Vesper. As time passed, the courses became increasingly demanding and Vesper tried as much as possible to teach everything to the students. She did not have any free time for herself anymore. But that did not bother her. Her collaboration with Snape was now excellent after that night that they spoke. Sometimes the lessons were done in conjunction with the Potions lesson. The semester had reached its middle, so a dull morning, before the lessons started, the Headmaster asked for a meeting with the professors at his office. When all the professors had gathered in the office, the Headmaster stood behind his desk and crossed his arms.

“Let’s start with you, Sybil”, he shifted his smart gaze to the woman sitting next to McGonagall. “What happened with Mr. Malfoy?”

The woman pushed her round glasses further up her nose. “He.. He didn’t show up in my lessons. Two times in a row.”

“I see.”

“I’m afraid he doesn’t like my lessons…”, she lowered her head.

Vesper huffed. “He doesn’t even like himself, let alone the lessons!”

“Vesper, stop”, Dumbledore glared at her.

“Forgive me Headmaster”, she muttered.

“What about the rest of you?”, he looked at the others. “Did you have the same problem with Malfoy?”

“I did”, Pomona Sprout spoke.

“I wish I could say the same”, Vesper murmured, next to Snape.

“Why do you say that, Vesper?”, he questioned rather unpleased by her words.

“Because he is such a brat”, boldly said the witch. “He thinks he knows everything and the last time he used the wrong spell as a result to hurt two of my students! You must warn his parents, Albus, that their precious son will not pass the O.W.L.s.”

“Severus?”, the Headmaster turned to him.

“I agree with professor Mallory”, the dark haired man nodded. “He is arrogant. A few days ago he had the audacity to insult Vesper in front of me.”

“What?”, the woman turned to look at him with a frown. She had no idea about that. Snape didn’t turn to face her.

“What did he say?”, Dumbledore questioned.

“I can’t say right now. The boy mentioned something that happened long ago.”

Vesper elbowed Snape discreetly. _You will tell me later,_ she thought, invading his mind. Snape, who had no idea that she had that skill, snapped his head to her with eyes wide open. Quickly he looked back again at Dumbledore without showing any emotion. _I will,_ he thought. _Now get out of my head._

 _Why?_ She thought again with the slightest smirk on her face. _It’s so dark in here. I love it._

 _Meet me after class at my dungeons,_ he thought.

_No. This time we will meet at my private chambers. Is that alright?_

_Whatever,_ he finally thought after a couple of seconds and tossed her out of his mind with the proper spell.

“Vesper? I’m talking to you”, Dumbledore looked at her intensely.

“Sorry, what?”, she shifted her cerulean gaze back to him.

“Do you have any other problems that we can discuss here?”

“No, I’m all done.”

“Good. Just so you know, I will inform the Malfoys about Draco and his behavior.”

“Why should I care about that?”

“Because I am certain that Lucius and Narcissa will request a meeting with you”, he gazed her intensely.

She smirked. “I’ll be delightful to have a face-to-face conversation with them.”

Albus nodded with a small sigh. He seemed disappointed. “You can go to your class now, my dear. You too Sybil.”

“Thank you Headmaster”, Vesper stood up and left the office.

 

Many hours later, after the end of her classes, Vesper walked down the main corridor alone. Snape had left the class one hour earlier because he needed to take his students to the dungeons. They had to prepare a certain potion and the ingredients were stored in his personal supply room.

Turning to the right corner at the end of the corridor, she bumped into Argus Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts.

“For Merlin’s sake, watch where you’re going!”, she hissed, gathering the books that fell from her hands when they bumped.

“Oh, I was looking for you professor!”, he exclaimed, breathing rather fast. “The Headmaster wants to see you at his office!”

“And why is that?”, she questioned when she finished gathering her books.

“The Malfoys are here, professor. They want to talk to you.”

“Now?? That was quick…”, she rolled her eyes. “I bet Dumbledore talked to Lucius after the meeting. Here”, she passed the books to him. “Take them back to my class. I’ll take them later.”

“Alright”, he obeyed and walked away from her.

She checked her pocket watch. _I’ll be late for my meeting with Severus,_ she thought with a sigh. _But I have to deal with the Malfoys now._

Taking a deep breath she walked straight to Dumbledore’s office. When she arrived she knocked two times and enter without hesitation. There they were. The happy couple was standing right in front of the empty desk.

“Where’s Dumbledore?”, questioned Vesper without greeting them and took a few more steps closer to them.

“He had to go to infirmary”, the blonde woman spoke coldly, gazing at the brunette. “A student fell off the broom.”

“Oh.”

Lucius was speechless. He couldn’t believe in his eyes how beautiful Vesper had become. The last time he saw her was at least ten years ago. Vesper though was avoiding to look at him.

“We’re here to talk to you about Draco…”, he finally spoke and Vesper looked at him coldly. Her heart though fluttered in her chest.

“What do you want to know Mr. Malfoy?”, she questioned in a monotonous voice, showing no emotion at all.

Narcissa chuckled ironically and Vesper snapped her head to her side.

“What was that for?”

“Now, he’s _Mr. Malfoy_ to you”, the blonde witch mocked her. “While we were engaged, he was _love, baby_ and _honey_ to you!!”

“Oh, she knows”, Vesper smirked devilishly. “Who told you?”

“Lucius told me!!”

Vesper looked at him with pity in her eyes. “You’re such a chicken…”

“Watch your language, Vesper!”, he growled at her.

“I don’t have time for all this!”, Vesper hissed at them. “Your son is an arrogant fool who thinks he owns the whole world! He injured two of the students because he had no idea how to perform a simple spell! If you truly care about Draco’s future you should consider my words! Money won’t buy him a personality and a bright future! He needs to pay more attention to his studies or else he’ll end up a Deatheater just like his father!”

Narcissa seemed shocked by her words, but Lucius was hurt. Deeply hurt.

“This is ridiculous!”, she snapped. “I’ll go find my son!”, he turned angrily to Lucius. “If you want, stay here and listen to her nonsenses! I will not!”

And with those words, she turned on her heels and left the office gracefully.

“Seriously now Lucius, do you believe me?”

“Of course I do…”, he looked away, scratching his chin thoughtful. “I just don’t know what to do, Vesper.”

“Keep the boy away from Voldemort”, she sighed. “I can see him on the boy. He influences him in the worst way.”

“How can I do that??”, he glared at her. “The Dark Lord lives in our manor!”

“I could see that coming…”, she confessed.

“I won’t tell him about you being here”, he looked at her. “Neither Narcissa.”

“Good, because the first victim will be your son who never told him about me.”

“I know. And Draco knows too…”

“What happened to you, Lucius?”, she neared him but kept a decent distant as well. “You seem so scared.”

“I am. Especially for you.”

“You shouldn’t be”, she supported her weight on the desk using her right hand. “Dumbledore protects me. And Severus.”

Lucius cocked an eyebrow. “Severus? I see.”

“What?” she frowned.

“Are you sure he wants to protect you? You were such a bitch to him in the past.”

“Yes I was”, she nodded. “Because I thought you were the one and only.”

“Wasn’t I?”, he smirked.

“Get yourself together, Lucius”, she stepped away from him with a hard expression on her face. “We were over the moment I found out that you wanted to kill me.”

“I didn’t have the guts to kill you, that’s why I asked Voldemort to do it for me…”, he explained with guilt written on his face. “I loved you very much to let you live without me…”

“Are you serious now??”, she growled. “You broke up with me because you were dating Narcissa!!”

“I know, I know… I’m sorry…”, he lowered his beautiful head and let out a shaky breath. Vesper pressed her lips together, fighting so many feelings inside her. She had truly loved that bastard but she couldn’t cope with betrayal.

“Go find your wife, Lucius… We’re over”, she walked up to the nearest window and crossed her arms before her chest, gazing outside the nocturnal sky.

For a few moments, the room was immersed in absolute silence. Then she heard his heavy footsteps approaching her from behind. She felt his hot breath near her left ear and shivered slightly. Without turning around, she shut her eyes tightly.

“I still love you, you know…”, he whispered. “I fell in love with you so easily but it’s so unbearably hard for me to fell out of love now… I thought that the birth of my son would make me forget about you, but I was so wrong. The marriage with Narcissa was a great deal for our fortunes, but my heart was always yours…”

_Keep it together, Vesper. Just… keep it together._

“I know, I messed up and I’m really sorry about that…”, he continued. “I wish I could turn back the time and stay with you. Marry you. Make love to you every single day. Loving you with all my heart…”, his words trailed off, sadness evident in his broken voice. Was he crying??

Vesper turned around slowly to face him and saw some shiny tears roll down his eyes. He never cried. _Never._ Lucius was a tough man. Crying was for kids, not him. She raised her shaky hand and wiped the tears away from his face softly. His face leaned closer to her palm and his pale, soft lips brushed against her skin. Her breath hitched inside her throat. _Oh, no. Don’t do this Lucius._ Then, without noticing it, she invaded his mind and heard some terrible thoughts.

_Yes, yes, she’s falling! The Dark Lord will be so pleased if I tell him that I found her! He will finally leave Draco alone. How stupid is she? Look at her. Her big blue eyes are looking at me like a love struck teenager. You still got it, Lucius._

Vesper smiled softly at him, with her heart racing behind her chest. “You should have killed me when you had the chance, baby…”, she muttered. “Say a word to Voldemort about me and I’ll make sure Draco’s death by my hands will look like an accident…”

He stepped away from her with eyes wide open in shock. He knew she was capable of that.

“Yes, I can hear your thoughts, darling. Did I make myself clear?”

He was staring at her like a goldfish behind the glass. After a few moments he nodded shakily. “I promise…”

“Good boy”, she glared at him. “Now run back to your master like a faithful dog.”

He literally ran outside the office and left her all alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think guys? Do you like it so far?  
> If you do, please let me know! Thanks!


	4. Missing Heart

Vesper could not wait for the Headmaster to return. She was already one hour late at her meeting with Severus. Leaving the office in hurry, she headed to her private chambers with a racing heartbeat and shaky hands. Approaching her chambers, she realized that someone was right outside the door.

“This is unacceptable!”, Severus turned to face her angrily. “Where were you??”

“Let me explain…”, she mumbled and unlocked the door. She was panting and the key slid through her sweaty palms.

He frowned, watching at her. “Are you alright?”

Vesper shook her head negatively and stood aside once she opened the door. “Get in.”

Snape entered the chamber and waited for her. When she walked in, she locked the door again and led him to her living room. The room was spacious but it was surely dark. The decoration was inspired by earlier times. A black cat was sleeping on the couch and a Slytherin flag was hung above the fireplace.

“Lucius was here…”, she confessed and caught Snape’s attention at once. She seemed like she was not able to breath. Panic attack? Oh, not now. “I—I heard his… his thoughts…”, she stuttered, breathlessly. Her entire body was shaking but she tried to loosen the knot of the silky ribbon which was wrapped around her neck.

Snape closed the distance and grabbed her face into his palms, bringing her closer to him. “Take a deep breath…”, he said in steady voice and looked into her panicky eyes. “Concentrate on the rhythm of your breathing, Vess. Count with me. One…”

She took a shaky deep breath and let it out after a couple of seconds. Her wide eyes never leaving his, like her whole life was depending on him.

“Two…”

Another deep breath. Her eyes watered once the air had been blown out of her system.

“Three…”

She did the same thing for the third time and her body slowly stopped shaking. Her breathing was more stable now and panic disappeared from her big, cerulean eyes. She cracked a small smile. “Thank you…”

“Anytime”, he nodded and stepped away from her, crossing his arms behind his back. “When you feel better, I want to know what happened.”

“Oh, I can’t do this right now…”, she threw herself on the nearest couch and removed her dark robes. The dress beneath the robes was pitch black, satin and long. “Just enter my mind and see for yourself…”

He did as she said and saw everything that took place in Dumbledore’s office a while ago. When Snape was done, he slipped out of her mind and huffed furiously. “He is such a fool! I can’t believe you stopped talking to me for him!”

Sadness clouded Vesper’s features as she removed the hair clips one after the other from her dark locks. Her hair fell on her shoulders and abdomen like a wild black river. “Believe me, I regret this every day…”

He glared at her for a while but then he joined her on the couch. The black cat instantly woke up and sniffed the air around her. When her sparkling grey eyes met Snape’s black ones, she stood on her feet and stretched her body. Then she jumped on Snape’s lap and observed him. The man ran his hand along her spine.

“Hello Opal…”, he greeted her and the cat purred in return.

“She remembers you…”, the witch smiled softly next to him.

“How could she not? I was the one who saved her from that crazy dog in Diagon Alley.”

“Oh, boy, you’re right”, she chuckled. “Do you remember? I was so scared!”

“Of course I remember. I saved the cat so I could stop listen to your screaming!”, he rolled his eyes at her, still petting Opal’s back.  

Vesper laughed and took off her heels, bringing her knees to her chest. “What about the day I had the tattoo? You were so brave! My mother went nuts when I made the announcement!”

“You should’ve listened to her, though”, he arched an eyebrow as he shifted his dark gaze on her. “Look at that. Isn’t it pathetic for a grown woman to have a snake on the back of her hand?”

“Of course not! I’m a Slytherin!”, she protested.

“This snake is not the same with the one that Slytherin has on its crest”, he frowned.

She pulled the sleeve of her dress further down to her hand and covered it. “Let’s not talk about this now…”

“Mhm”, he pressed his lips, observing her every move. “You did it for Malfoy, right?”

She snapped her head back to him. “Of course not! He was my boyfriend, alright, but he was not like a family to me!”

“So, it was for a family member”, he continued the interrogation with no mercy. “But you never loved them that much.”

“It was for someone I never wanted to lose but eventually I lost him…”, she let out a deep sigh. “Can we talk about something else now?”

“You do not have siblings”, he ignored her request. “And I am certain that it is not about your father. So? Do I know him?”

Vesper growled. Sometimes Severus was too hard to keep up with. “Alright! Let’s see if you can find out on your own! He was a man – actually he was a young boy then – who understood me. When I was upset, he was taking me to the lake to see the mermaids. He kept telling me that I would become a remarkable witch with many talents. He always bought me the most beautiful gifts and never forgot my birthday. He was not like the others. That boy was my best friend, but shortly before graduation I stopped talking to him because Lucius wanted me all for himself. Oh. And I still wear his last gift to me…”, she unbuttoned three of her dress buttons and pulled out a gorgeous necklace. It was silver with the letter V hung from the chain.

Snape was astounded. His eyes wandered down to her right hand and pulled up the sleeve, observing again the tattoo. It was indeed a snake but its position on her hand was really weird. She turned her hand to another side and let him see it again.

“It’s the letter P…”, he frowned holding her wrist. “This is not about me. I thought it was… It can’t be.”

“Replace the letter K with the letter P…”, she looked at him.

“Snake. Snape…?”, he looked up at her with anticipation evident in his eyes. He actually wanted Vesper to confirm his theory. She just nodded and pulled back her hand from his.

“Why me?”, he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him in the eyes.

“Because you’re everything to me!”, she snapped at him.

“So much for your love, Vesper!”, he said poisonously. “You threw me out of your life so easily! Lucius was your _everything_ , not me!”

“Enough!!”, she shouted and Opal jumped off Snape’s lap scared. She glared at him but he didn’t seem particularly angry by her attitude.

“You know deep down that I am right”, he stood up and walked up the door. He wanted to leave.

“No, Severus, wait”, she jumped up and ran to him. “Please, don’t go. Let’s go for a walk instead.”

“I’m not in the mood, Vesper.”

“Please?”, she looked at him with puppy eyes. Snape furrowed his brows.

“Stop looking at me like this. It’s annoying”, he said coldly. Boy, his heart was literally made of ice.

“Alright”, she gave up and opened the door for him with a deep sigh. “You can leave if you want.”

“Goodnight”, he walked out of her chamber without even looking at her.

 

 

**_Three days later_ **

****

It was a beautiful, rainy Sunday morning. The day had not started yet, since it was just 5:30 am. But Vesper was already awake and ready for her regular run. During the week she did not have the time to train, so she always took advantage of the weekends. Dressed in black leggings, T-shirt, hooded sweatshirt and sport shoes, Vesper made her way out of the castle and in the courtyard. Looking up the sky she realized that the sky had an amazing grey-black color. _Splendid._ She smiled to herself and started jogging directed toward the Forbidden Forest. Her dark curls came out of her hood and banged rhythmically on her chest and stomach, wet from the excessive rain. The weather was seriously cold but Vesper couldn’t care less about it. She removed her hooded sweatshirt while jogging and threw it on the wet ground so the heavy rain could wash out all her stress and confusing thoughts. Her mind was wrapped around Voldemort the last few days and she didn’t know why. After all, Lucius might have told Voldemort about her hiding place. And what about Dumbledore? He did not want her close to Snape, but now he did everything to keep them close. What was his plan, anyway?

She spent more than an hour jogging and did not realize how her footsteps had brought her to the grand entrance of the school. With her fingers wrapped around the enchanted railings, she leaned her head and sighed deeply. How did her life reach this low point? At one time, she was so confident about her bright future that she did not care what she would do to conquer that high point. And look at her now. Trapped inside a monstrous castle, like a prisoner. Her own actions brought her there and no one else could blame for it.

Vesper realized she was getting cold when her body begun trembling. Her outfit was soaked, just like her very long hair. She stepped back from the entrance the same moment she heard a female calling her name.

“Vesper!!!”

She turned around and spotted McGonagall running to her direction. What the hell happened? The older witch seemed rather scared.

“What is it, Minerva?”, Vesper ran to her side.

“Why are you outside??”, McGonagall barked but her eyes showed worry. “I’ve been looking for you for an hour!!”

“Is that all?”, she cocked an eyebrow.

“Severus is missing, you damn girl!!”

“What?”, Vesper felt like her heart had skipped a beat. “But I saw him yesterday morning.”

“He’s missing since then!!”, Minerva brought her hand to her mouth, trying not burst out in tears.

“Are you insane? He must be somewhere in the castle, Minerva. Come on!!”

“Albus sent him out on a mission. He wanted him to meet someone. Since then, he never contacted Albus again. Do you understand now??”, the Head of the Gryffindor glared at her.

“Oh, damn…”, the dark haired witch started panicking. “I need to talk to Dumbledore. Now.”

“Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where is Snape? What is Vesper willing to do to get him back? Who is behind all this? Let's find out in the next chapter...


	5. Back to Black

For a normal person the distance from the grand entrance to the Headmaster’s office was 16 minutes, but Vesper did it in just 6 minutes. Minerva was struggling to keep up, behind Vesper. The younger witch was in a state of shock but she knew she had to maintain a calm face.

The moment they arrived at Dumbledore’s office, Vesper burst in without even knocking at the door. Minerva was right behind her, panting like crazy. They found Dumbledore sitting behind his desk with arms crossed and thoughtful gaze.

“Where is he, Albus??”, Vesper questioned, breathing really fast. “Where did you send him??”

The older wizard looked up at her and frowned. “Oh… You don’t seem very well, my dear. You’re all wet.”

Indeed she was but she didn’t care. “Just tell me what happened!”

“You should respect the Headmaster, Mrs. Mallory!”, McGonagall glared at her.

“No, let her, Minerva”, he stood up with a sigh. “She needs to know…”

“I’m listening”, the brunette pressed her lips together with eyes full of anticipation.

“Minerva, could you leave us alone for a few moments?”, he turned to his faithful friend and the older woman nodded and left the office.

“Voldemort has him, right?”, Vesper blurted out the moment McGonagall shut the door behind her. “Right??”

“Actually, no”, Albus took a few steps closer to her with his arms crossed behind his back. “I sent him to the Ministry of Magic to find something for me. I was informed that a Horcrux was hidden in Lestrange Vault. Helga Hufflepuff's Cup.”

“And?? What happened in the meantime??”

Dumbledore frowned suspiciously. “You knew about the Horcruxes.”

“Of course I knew it!”, she rolled her eyes. “But don’t you dare blame me for not telling you earlier! You keep secrets from me, Albus!”

“Do you know where he hid them?”

“Nobody knows, Albus. I swear, I have no idea.”

“Alright…”, he nodded. “Bellatrix was already in her Vault when Severus found the way to break in.”

“Oh, that dirty bitch…”, she hissed poisonously. Her eyes were spitting fire. “She’s the one who took him, right??”

“I believe so.”

“You don’t know?”, she turned to him with rage evident in her cerulean eyes. “Wait…”, Vesper frowned. “Something is off…”

“What are you thinking?”

“It’s a trap. She wants me to go after her and save Snape”, she bit her bottom lip, thinking hard. “Why didn’t she just kill him instead of taking him?”

“Because Snape is useful, my dear”, he shrugged.

“I know what she wants and I’m willing to give it to her”, she straighten up her body. “I must go find him, Albus.”

“This is not an option”, the older man shook his head.

“Oh, yes it is”, she nodded, determined. “There is something you don’t know.”

“And what that might be?”

“Tom believes I’m the heiress of Slytherin.”

“Pardon me?”, he frowned, obviously confused. “He’s the heir of Slytherin. There is no heiress.”

“Yeah, tell me about it”, she rolled her eyes at him. “Just let me go find him, Albus. I can handle Tom.”

“You most certainly can’t my dear”, he refused once again sharply. “I will deal with it.”

“You leave me no other choice…”, she murmured and did something she had vowed to herself never to do again. She apparated, _Death eaters style._ Black smoke consumed her entire body and she flew through the window, still hearing Dumbledore’s plead.

“VESPER!! DO NOT DO THIS!!”

But she was long gone. The apparation was quick and painless, as she remembered. She quickly arrived at Wiltshire in England, knowing all too well that the Malfoy Manor was located there. It was not very difficult for her to find it, because she had so many memories involving the Manor. For so many years she just stood outside of it, hating her guts for not being with Lucius. She was madly in love with him back then and dangerously reckless and unreasonable with her actions. Upon seeing the Manor, Vesper grimaced in disgust. The stony estate seemed deserted but she knew better. Obviously it was protected by a strong protective spell and she knew she would not be able to break through it easily. Although she had a better idea. Pulling her sleeve up, she revealed the long forgotten Dark Mark still visible on her arm. Without thinking about it further, Vesper pulled out her wand and touched the skull with the tip of her wand lightly, eyes glued to the manor. The Dark Mark slowly blackened and moved, causing chills down her spine. Then she saw them. Three Death Eaters apparated just in front of her with black smoke covering their forms.

“What the hell are you doing here??”, Lucius was the first one who revealed himself. Vesper withdrew the wand from the Dark Mark, eyeing him expressionless.

“She’s just in time for the show!!”, Bellatrix was the second who appeared next to Lucius and Vesper had to try very hard not to kill her right then and there.

Scabior, her one-time-night-stand, last appeared with a smoldering smile of his face.

“I’m so glad to see you all”, Vesper sarcastically spat. “I’m here to see the Dark Lord and not talk to any of you.”

“Why not, love?”, Scabior grinned foolishly. “Didn’t you miss me?”

“Save it, Scabior”, she shoved him away from her.

“Uh-oh, the kitty has nails”, Bellatrix mocked, laughing hysterically.

Vesper rolled her eyes, still trying to maintain her calmness. “Lead me to your Master, bitch.”

“No, I am not letting you go in”, Lucius interfered. The dark haired witch snapped her head to him.

“And who do you think you are to prevent me from entering the Manor, Malfoy?”, she poisonously hissed at him. “I am the Heiress of Slytherin. You will bow to me from now on.”

“You… what?”, Bellatrix lost her stupid smile at once. “You’re lying!!”

“No, she’s not”, a familiar voice sounded from behind Vesper and her blood froze inside her veins. That was Tom, for sure. Bellatrix bowed her head instantly, without daring to look up. Lucius seemed scared but Scabior had maintained his coolness.

Turning around to face her previous Master, Vesper faced… a monster. Tom looked like nothing like his previous gorgeous self. Only his penetrating blue eyes were the same. His fragile skin had a weird grey-white color and his usual black curled hair had been replaced by a bald skull. His nose was literally gone. Now he looked like a dead man actually.

“Vesper…”, he tested her name with an unidentified expression on his face. “Vesper.”

“Here I am”, she approached him without any fear actually.

“Don’t you dare go near him!!”, Bellatrix cried angrily, pointing her wand at her. The brunette didn’t even bother to look at her.

“Shut up, you silly woman!!”, Tom shouted enraged at her. Vesper heard Bellatrix’s shocked inhalation. “You three get out of my sight, right now!!”, he ordered them and instantly they obeyed, leaving the two alone.

“You betrayed me”, he shifted his fiery gaze back on her.

“You knew it since the first moment you laid eyes upon me that I would betray you, Tom”, she smirked evilly. “Though, here I am, talking to you.”

“I should probably kill you”, he coldly stated.

“Do it”, she challenged him with a blank expression.

Tom narrowed his eyes. “You know, I can’t. You’re the Heiress.”

“Why did you take Severus?”, she blurted out.

“He’s just the bait. You are the fish, Vesper”, he evilly smiled.

Her patience was slowly running thin. “Keep me, instead. Let him go.”

“Oh, that would be very easy”, Tom grimaced at her silliness. “You both know too much to let go any of you.”

“I know details about you that Severus can’t even imagine, Tom”, she huffed. “Just let him go and I’ll do whatever you want.”

 _Bloody hell,_ she thought. She just showed weakness. Not a very good sign. Tom suspiciously looked at her but she remained cold as a cucumber.

“Do you have feelings for him?”, he questioned disgusted.

“You know I still love Lucius”, she easily lied to him and the next moment she sealed her mind with a strong protective spell. She was aware that Tom would try to enter her mind eventually and she had to keep her thoughts in secrecy.

“Oh…”, he smirked devilishly. “The unrequited love. Of course…”

“You enjoy yourself, aren’t you?”, she arched an eyebrow. “Will you at least let me see him?”

“See him, yes, not talk to him though”, Tom replied but his eyes sparkled with a secret flame.

“Why?”

“Because he’s not in a state of speaking”, he grinned like a demon and Vesper lost a heartbeat.

“What do you mean?”, she questioned rather scared but she showed no emotion to him.

“He’s already dead, my Heiress”, Tom slowly put the words in a sentence.

_No, this can’t be true… Have I really lost him…?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Snape really dead? How do you think Vesper will react when she sees him? How far is she willing to go? Let's find out in the next chapter...
> 
> Guys, I would appreciate it if you let me know what do you think about the story so far :-))


	6. Breakaway

_“He’s already dead, my Heiress.”_

Vesper was speechless though she knew she had to hide any kind of weak emotion in front of him. Her heart palpitated like crazy but her stony cold gaze was glued on Tom.

“The Killing Curse or Nagini?”, she questioned nonchalantly. Her entire body was slowly getting cold.

“Neither”, he pressed his thin lips together, observing her every move. “We shall go inside my dear. But your appearance is not suitable for the moment.”

She couldn’t care less about her outfit but she had to play his game until the very end so she flicked her wand and her appearance changed instantly. A long, black dress in satin embraced her every curve and stiletto high heels lifted her up gracefully. Her jet black hair was now completely dry and straightened, reaching her bottoms like a dark river. A thick line of black eye-liner appeared on her upper eyelids and red like blood lipstick painted her full lips.

“You look stunning my Heiress”, the Dark Lord complimented but she felt nauseous.

“Let’s get this over with, my Lord”, she bowed unwillingly and let him take the lead before her.

They walked inside the manor together and when they entered the hall, many of the attendees stood up to greet their master. Some of them growled warningly upon seeing Vesper but Tom silenced them with a vicious glare.

“Your Heiress is back!”, Tom announced and all of them clapped but not too happily. He walked up to his seat at the head of the long table but he didn’t settle down. “Join us my dear”, he pointed the other head of the table and Vesper took the seat he so proudfully offered to her.

The witch looked around and saw faces that she despised so strongly. Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, Peter Pettigrew, Antonin Dolohov, Rodolphus Lestrange, Corban Yaxley and many others.

“What’s with the dull face, Narcissa?”, the brunette questioned with a smirk. “Aren’t you happy with my return?”

“Of course she’s not, my dear”, Tom almost chuckled. “You are in love with her husband”, he bluntly said out loud causing each and every head of the attendees to look towards her. Vesper simply sighed but Lucius looked at her kind of relieved, like he was almost happy upon hearing those words. Narcissa on the other hand, had her head down, clenching her fists to no end.

“You don’t really know what love is, Tom”, she looked at him with pity, something Tom hated the most.

His face features stiffened as he glared at her. “Love is weakness, Vesper.”

“Love is a strong weapon which destroyed your body in the first place”, she turned to him. “Am I right?”

“Why didn’t you bring me Potter boy when you had the chance, Vesper?”, he gritted his teeth, still glaring at her but surprisingly, Vesper was not scared at all by him. She had a plan – to find out where Severus was – and that was more significant than Tom’s bullshit.

“It was not my fight, dear Tom”, she simply replied. Bellatrix guffawed and Vesper snapped her head towards her.

“You are unworthy of your title, Mallory!!”, she spat at her.

“Behave, Bella”, Tom warned her calmly. “It was indeed not her fight.”

Bellatrix seemed shocked but said nothing in return.

“Where was she when you returned, my Lord??”, Dolohov hissed and Tom shifted his penetrating gaze back to the Heiress.

Vesper chuckled as she looked at the Dark Lord. “Seriously, Tom, don’t ask me. You know exactly why I left you. You were the only person in the whole damn world who accepted me for who I am and saw that I was truly gifted”, she lied right in front of his face but she felt instantly sick by herself. “You were gone and I felt helpless. Yes, it was my mistake to run like a wounded animal to Dumbledore but I needed to protect myself. I knew all too well that your mates loathed my guts and when you were gone I was fully aware that they would come after me. What should I do??”

Tom remained silent for a few moments, considering his next words. His expression was rather cold but Vesper knew him better than anyone. He had truly forgave her but he didn’t want to show weakness in front of his followers. He just simply nodded.

“Can I see the body now, my dearest Lord?”, she requested, simply wanting to get this over with quickly.

Tom allowed himself to modestly smile upon hearing his Heiress address him like that. “You can. Lucius?”

The blonde man nearly jumped up his seat when the Dark Lord spoke to him. “M-my Lord?”

“Lead the Heiress to Snape.”

“O-of course, m-my Lord”, Lucius stuttered and stood up from his seat, nearing Vesper. She stood up as well and followed him outside the hall. When they were completely alone and safely far away from the hall, Lucius grabbed her wrist and forced her to stop walking and look at him.

“What’s your fucking plan, Vesper?? Why are you even here? It’s dangerous to play with him!!”, he hissed but his blue eyes were filled with worry.

She pulled her hand away sharply, glaring at him. “That’s none of your bloody business, Lucius! Stop acting like you care!!”

“I do care, you silly woman! I realized that the moment you read my thoughts! Couldn’t you see it?? I was under the Imperius Curse!!”, he defended himself vigorously.

Vesper was taken aback by his confessions. Could it be true?

“See for yourself if you don’t believe me”, he pointed his head and Vesper took the opportunity to see if his words were true.

_Legilimens_

That nonverbal spell helped Vesper realize that Lucius had said the truth. Voldemort himself had casted the curse upon Lucius right after the latter had received Dumbledore’s letter about his misbehaving son in Vesper’s classes. Voldemort already knew about Vesper’s hideout but he needed to lure her and hurt her to no end. That was why he planted those terrible thoughts inside Lucius’ mind and right after that he took away Severus. How naïve of Dumbledore to mention her name into the letter he sent to Lucius! But he may have had a plan since the beginning or he simply wanted to check if Vesper was still a follower of Voldemort.

Slipping out of Lucius’ mind slowly, she locked eyes with him.

“Have you ever truly loved me?”, she bluntly asked him.

He let out a deep yet tired sigh, never leaving her eyes. “You will never understand how much I loved you, Vesper. My whole family forced me to marry Narcissa. I didn’t want to… but I had too. Otherwise they would disinherit me…”

“And yet you chose money over love…”, she looked at him disappointed. “You ruined my friendship with Snape and then you ruined me. How noble of you…”, she mocked. “But I don’t have time for you right now. I need to see Severus”, she straightened up her posture and looked at him coldly.

He exhaled defeated and continued walking down the hallway. After a few minutes they had reached the manor’s vault. Lucius unlocked the heavy door and let Vesper enter first. She stepped in but her breath stopped halfway through her throat. Severus was lying face down the stony floor with a dirty cloth thrown upon his cloak-wrapped body.

“Oh Merlin…”, she ran to him, kneeling down. She instantly pulled Severus’ lifeless and cold body into her arms and she felt a piercing sting in her heart. His pale face looked so peaceful and his eyes were closed. No breath was coming out of his parted lips. Vesper’s cerulean eyes filled with unshed tears as her chest clenched. It pained her terribly to see him like that. “What did they do to you, darling?”, she murmured with her lips brushing his forehead ever so lightly.

“He’s not dead”, Lucius spoke. “You are quite familiar with the Draught of Living Death.”

Hope sparkled in her eyes as she tightened her grip around his body. “Is that all?? I know how to bring him back”, she let out a shaky breath.

“Not so quick, Vesper”, Lucius knelt down beside her. “Voldemort himself brew the potion and believe me when I say that he used ingredients completely unknown to me. He changed it. You may not be able to wake him up in time.”

“What do you mean, Lucius?”, she worriedly looked at him, still holding Severus for dear life.

“Severus would die the sixteenth hour after the ingestion of the potion…”

“This is not the Draught of Living Death!!”, she spat. “I don’t even know what this is!! How many hours ago did Voldemort give the potion to him??”

“Thirteen hours ago, Vesper… I’m so sorry…”, he pulled his body up and sighed.

Reality downed in Vesper’s guts upon realization. Time was almost up. How would she find a solution or an antidote in just three fucking hours??  Her entire being was in a state of panic attack.

“Do you have any idea how to find the antidote??”, she literally screamed at him.

“Stop shouting!!”, he hissed at her. “Voldemort has it but be my guest and take it from him.”

“Oh there’s no time to fight with Voldemort…”, she mumbled, staring at Snape’s pale face. Her heart was beating fast enough to send a huge dose of adrenaline through her veins to her boiling blood. “Lucius, get me out of here. Now! I need to take him back to Hogwarts!”

“Are you out of your fucking mind??”, he glared at her angrily. “I’m not willing to feel his wrath after your flee!!”

“Come with me!!”, she snapped her head towards him. She was desperate and she didn’t have the luxury to hide her feelings from him at that moment. “I don’t know, just do something!! Please…”, a lone tear rolled down her cheek and Lucius’ eyes widened in surprise. He had never seen Vesper cry before. “I can’t afford losing him after I lost you…”

“What about Narcissa?”, he questioned her worriedly. “What about Draco??”

“You’re right…”, she nodded hurriedly. “You can’t risk their lives because of me… But I have another idea.”

“Do tell, quickly.”

“Tell me the way out of here. Then I will attack you and erase your memory. In that way, Voldemort will never accuse you for helping me. What do you say?”

“Agreed”, he hastened to reply.

“Are you sure?”, she frowned. “Would you do that for me?”

“Anything”, he stared at her. “I would do anything for you…”

 _Oh, dear Merlin. Why now? Why didn’t you show me that part of yourself earlier, Lucius?_ She smiled faintly at him and carefully let Severus back on the floor, then she stood up. “I’m listening.”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your kudos guys!! Still longing for your comments though :((  
> Anyway, I'm still glad that you keep reading my story!! Thank you all!!


	7. Think Twice

_“I’m listening.”_

Lucius brought his tightened fist on his lips and nodded, thinking about his next words carefully. “Alright”, he pulled away his hand and grabbed hers. Surprisingly, Vesper didn’t pull away hers. “Listen to me. There is a Vanishing Cabinet in the manor that Draco obtained from Borgin and Burkes. Its twin is at Hogwarts in the Room of Requirement. Nobody knows about the cabinet. Not even Draco knows that I know about that. He was trying to repair the damn thing but utterly failed. That’s why he said nothing about it. Although I managed to repair it just yesterday.”

“Where’s the cabinet?”, she quickly questioned.

“The cabinet is in the third basement of the house, next to the dungeons”, he replied hurriedly. “Make it quick, Vess. He’s not stupid.”

 _Vess. Oh, how I missed my nickname._ She nodded and slipped her hands out of his. “I must attack you now… I’m sorry.”

“I understand…”

Vesper pulled her wand out and pointed Lucius with it.

“Wait…”, he stared at her. “One last thing. Be careful… and allow me to visit you sometime. I still need this…”

She looked at him thoughtfully for a few moments but then she nodded in agreement.

“ _Stupefy!”_

The spell rendered Lucius unconscious the moment it hit him on his chest. Vesper knew that the time was running thin and she needed to speed things up. She pointed Lucius with her wand again.

“ _Obliviate”,_ she murmured and the tip of her wand sparkled as she gathered Lucius’ thoughts in it. That was enough. She had to leave the place immediately.

Using a nonverbal spell she levitated Severus’ body in the air and walked out of the vault cautiously. The way to the basements was clear but she kept her eyes wide open in case someone was around. When she finally found the room, she entered followed by the floating body of Severus. The dusty cabinet was indeed there but Vesper didn’t lose any more time. She entered the cabinet, holding Severus in her arms. When the door closed, the whole cabinet started shaking lightly but after a few moments the sensation increased to the point where Vesper thought that something was really wrong about it. She was wrong though. The door slammed open and she found herself looking at some dusty brooms. The Room of Requirement! Without losing any more time she apparated to the hospital wing along with Severus’ unconscious body.

“POPPY!!!!”, Vesper screamed her lungs out once they appeared in the middle of the room. It was late at night so no one was around. Even the beds were empty. Probably it was a quiet day at the wing.

The mediwitch entered the room in hurry. “What’s happen--..”, her words trailed off when she laid eyes upon Severus.

“Quickly now, cast a diagnostic charm on him!!”, Vesper placed Severus’ body on an empty bed, using a levitation spell. The middle-aged witch did as Vesper said but when a parchment flew out of the tip of her wand and landed on her hands, she gasped and covered her mouth with one hand. “Oh, my dear boy…”

“What is it, Poppy??”, the brunette didn’t have the heart to take the parchment from the mediwitch’s hands.

“The parchment is empty…”, Poppy muttered. “He is dead…”

“No, he is not!!”, Vesper took a step back, feeling like her chest was about to blow up any minute now. Tears streamed down her pale face. “We still have two hours to save him… We--.. I…”, she collapsed on her knees with a shaking body.

“I must find Dumbledore right now”, Poppy shook her head in denial. “Stay here. I won’t be long”, she said before running out of the room hurriedly.

Vesper tried really hard to stand back on her feet but it was merely impossible. Her chest was aching and her mind was in deep blur. All of her senses were in halt though her eyes were focused on the floor. Why did she care so much for this man? Was it her guilt? Or was it the love for him? Little did she know. She only wanted him to stay alive. Everything had happened for her and that was so unfair for him. She had to save him no matter the cost.

“Vesper?”, a familiar warm voice sounded from behind her. It was the Headmaster.

“Just do something, Albus…”, she tiredly muttered with no strength to stand up and face him. “I beg you…”

“I need you to stand up for me, Vesper”, the wizard placed a hand on her shoulder. “You need to be strong. These things are not for the faint-hearted, my dear.”

Vesper nodded slightly. Deep down, she knew that he was perfectly right. She had to be strong not only for herself but for the cause’s sake. With a deep sigh she pulled herself up slowly and wiped away the remained tears from her face. A cold expression masked her true emotions from her company.

“I would like to be left alone with Severus”, he requested and the two witches walked out of the room. Vesper managed to steal a glance of Severus before the door was securely closed behind them.

“What happened Vesper?”, the mediwitch looked at her worriedly. “Look at you, all dolled up.”

It was then when the brunette realized that she was still inside that hideous dress. “Do you have by any chance anything for me to wear rather than this stupid dress?”

“Oh, I think I do, darling”, Poppy nodded but when she was about to leave, the door opened widely and Dumbledore walked out. Vesper forgot about her outfit at once and snapped her head towards the worried Headmaster.

“What is it??”, she questioned shakily.

“I’m afraid you have to go back there, Vesper”, he exhaled defeated. Her eyes widened. “I do not have the time to bring him back. The potion I need to brew requires lots of time and in our case we do not have the luxury of running late.”

“Tom has the antidote, Albus!”, she hissed but her hands were shaking of the thought that she had to go back there and face him. “How am I supposed to claim it and return in time??”

“Tom??”, Poppy looked at them shocked. “As in… Tom Riddle??”

“Yes, Poppy”, the wizard nodded quickly. “I’ll explain everything to you later. Now, Vesper. You must give him something he needs more than Severus’ life in exchange for the antidote.”

“The boy who lived”, she arched an eyebrow. “And my commitment to him in full range.”

“What are you willing to sacrifice for Severus’ life, Vesper?”, he questioned rather calmly. “You need to ask yourself that firstly. Then and only then you’ll find the answer. Now, go…”

Vesper had no time to digest Dumbledore’s words and she disapparated in a blink of an eye, finding herself outside of Malfoy’s manor again after a few seconds. She instantly felt the urge of vomiting upon seeing the manor but she restrained herself successfully. _How am I supposed to face Tom again?_ He should be really angry after finding out her flee. Although she had no other choice. She had to face him for Severus’ sake. _What are you willing to sacrifice for Severus’ life, Vesper?_ The Headmaster’s words echoed inside her mind and she found the time to process them. In all honesty she was willing to sacrifice many things for Severus’ life. Her past taught her that life isn’t fair and she had to make things up for her old time friend. Saving him would be a soothing pat on the back for her and she needed that more than anything. To her surprise not one Death Eater came out of the manor to greet her or even threaten her. Not even the Dark Lord. Without giving the matter another thought, she walked the path quickly and knocked on the huge entrance door. A minute later Narcissa opened the door, looking dreadful. Vesper frowned.

“Didn’t you notice that I was standing outside the manor? I thought the place was filled with protection spells and hexes.”

“It is but I didn’t have the strength to deal with you”, the blonde tiredly answered and stepped aside for the brunette to walk in.

“The Dark Lord punished Lucius for letting me flee?”, the younger witch entered the manor and Narcissa shut the door.

“Exactly”, she nodded and walked further inside.

“What did he do to him?”, Vesper followed Narcissa’s lead.

“He crusio-ed him almost five times…”, the woman’s voice sounded hoarse. She should be fighting back tears. “Although Lucius couldn’t remember a thing about that. I’m so tired of this…”, she confessed as she entered the main living room. The place was deserted.

“Look, I do care about Lucius but right now I’m in a hurry”, Vesper sighed. “I can sense that Voldemort is not around but I need to find him. Dumbledore doesn’t have the time to brew the antidote and I must take it from Voldemort. I have less than two hours to save him, Narcissa. Will you help me?”, she bluntly asked the blonde who snapped her head towards her.

“You need my help?”, her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Vesper rolled her eyes in annoyance. “I thought you cared about Severus.”

“Of course, I do. He’s a great friend”, she confirmed steadily. “How can I help you?”

“I will summon him but I need you to keep all the others away from the manor”, she stared at her. “If he comes here I am sure that the bastards will follow him and I don’t have the time to deal with them now. They will slow me down. Can you do this for me, Narcissa?”

“Yes”, the blonde nodded. “Just…”

“What?”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but… be careful. He’s completely enraged.”

Vesper smirked. “I can’t believe what came out of your mouth just now. Do you care about me?”

“I care about Severus”, Narcissa dead-panned her. “If he kills you, Severus will also die.”

“Fair enough”, the brunette shrugged. “Though we need to have a chat you and I. Some other time.”

“We do”, the blonde eyed her. “Now go summon him. I have your back.”

 _How utterly strange to hear these words coming out of your mouth Narcissa,_ Vesper thought but then she let her walk out of the living room. When she remained all alone she summoned Voldemort through her Dark Mark and waited impatiently…


	8. The Ultimate Sacrifice

The Dark Mark blackened once Vesper touched it with her wand and the pain she felt numbed her entire body. Indeed he was extremely enraged, Narcissa was absolutely right. The manor was quiet but her mind buzzed from millions of thoughts. What could she say to him? Perhaps the truth? No. She couldn’t afford the consequences. Vesper was sure that Tom would ask something in return, but what?

Her thoughts faded instantly when the Dark Lord finally appeared in front of her. She bowed her head at once and fell to her knees, though Tom didn’t really notice it cause he was already in the middle of cursing her.

_Crucio!_

She screamed at the top of her lungs, feeling the all familiar excruciating pain of the Unforgivable Curse. She struggled to breathe normally but it was merely impossible.

_CRUSIO!!_

Again. The pain increased to the highest level making Vesper cry like a little baby. How could Lucius tolerate that pain five times in a row? It was absurd.

“Please…”, she begged sobbing. Her cerulean orbs finally focused on his black ones and Tom hissed while putting an end to her suffering.

Vesper fell to the floor, panting, with sweat glistening all over her pale face. Thankfully the pain was gone but she felt so weak and vulnerable.

“How dare you defy my orders, witch?!”, he screamed in rage. “Stand up and face me! NOW!”

Vesper managed to look up at him as she gathered all her remaining strength and pulled her trembling body up, finally standing on her feet again. “Just… hear me out…”

“Who do you think you are, Vesper??”, he barked and neared her. The next moment he grabbed her from her arm shaking her violently. She didn’t even try to push him away. “You are the Heiress but I AM THE DARK LORD!!”, he screamed on her face.

“What can I do for you to forgive me, my Lord?”, she mumbled with eyes glued on the floor.

Silence. He let go of her arm and stepped back, staring at her, probably thinking about what to ask. She didn’t dare to look up at him though she knew that his eyes scrutinized her from head to toe.

“Enlighten me first”, he said calmly this time. “How did you take him with you? I know that you couldn’t disapparate. No one can inside the manor. Protecting spells.”

“The Vanishing Cabinet, my Lord…”, she muttered.

“Lucius told you, right?”

“No, my Lord. I was secretly watching Draco in Hogwarts and he led me to the Room of Requirements. In that way I found out about the item and its twin…”, she lied but she made sure that her mind was properly shielded from him.

“Why did you erase Lucius’ memories?”, he neared her once again.

“Because I kissed him, my Lord…”, she acted all regretful and repentant in front of him. “What if Narcissa was able to see that in his mind? I know she is a Legilimens…”  

“You attacked him as well”, he patiently said and Vesper dared to look up at him.

“I attacked him right after the kiss. I knew that he would not let me betray you by taking Severus away from here”, she stared at him. “Do you believe me?”

“So you were well aware that you were betraying me, Vesper”, he coldly stared at her back.

“I wanted to make things right for Severus, Tom…”, she let out a sigh. “I hurt him in the past and he didn’t deserve it. You know what happened. He’s one of your most faithful servants. Spare his life, please…”

“You’re here for the antidote”, his lips curved up evilly.

“As a matter of fact, I am”, she nodded. “What do you want in exchange?”

“You”, he hastened to reply with a devilish smile on his ugly face.

She galped nervously. She knew all too well that Tom would ask something like that. “I can’t leave Hogwarts, Tom. I need to finish my task. I thought you wanted me to be there even if you never told me.”

“Of course I want you there”, he returned with a fake yet sweet smile. That was disturbing. He snaked his thin, pale arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Their lips only inches away. “Let me fuck you and the antidote is yours…”, he whispered sinfully while staring into her glassy eyes.

“First the antidote”, she pulled back from him fearlessly. She knew that it was the only way to deal with him. “Then the fucking.”

“You are willing to sacrifice yourself for him”, he hissed. “You love him!”

“I do. He’s my friend”, she replied indifferently cause the thought of being fucked by the Dark Lord numbed all her senses. She couldn’t get away without giving her body to him and she just wanted to take the antidote and leave for now. “The antidote, Tom. There is no time.”

Tom reached out his hand and a small vial appeared in his palm. “If you don’t return, consider Snape dead”, he coldly stated.

Vesper grabbed the vial. “I will return”, she glared at him and flew out of the living room’s window like a true Death Eater. The journey back to Hogwarts was extremely short and she found herself in the infirmary in no time. Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey was there, next to Severus’ bed. The man looked pale like he was already dead.

“Oh, Merlin’s beard, she’s back!”, Poppy exclaimed noisily.

“Do you have the antidote?”, Dumbledore questioned worriedly but Vesper pushed them out of her way and opened the vial with shaky hands.

“You have only fifteen seconds, Vesper!!”, the mediwitch whimpered next to her but she was faster than the wind and slipped the clear liquid in Severus’ parted lips.

“Come on, darling… Wake up…”, Vesper tossed the vial away and grabbed his cold hand, waiting impatiently. Some seconds later they all heard his gasp and sighed in utter relief. Severus coughed repeatedly trying to regain his senses and then he opened his black eyes widely.

“He’s back…”, Dumbledore allowed himself to smile modestly. “You saved him, Vesper.”

She grinned widely upon seeing her best friend alive again.

“You…”, Severus frowned as he looked at her, still trying to adjust himself. “You!!”, he growled while pulling his hand away from hers. Vesper stepped back in pure shock. Why was he acting like that? “I suffered all this pain, just for you!! Only because Voldemort wanted to lure you back to him!! Get out of my sight and never come near me, you filthy whore!!”

 _Filthy whore…_ Vesper felt like someone had stabbed her heart with a flaming knife. That was so hurtful. At once her eyes filled with unwanted tears but she remained silent and just lowered her gaze to the floor.

“SEVERUS!!”, Dumbledore snapped. “She saved you!! You would have been dead if it wasn’t for Vesper!! We had only three hours to bring you back and I didn’t have the time to brew the antidote. She went back to Voldemort to take it from him and she did. Just to save you. You should be grateful.”

“I wouldn’t have been in this situation if she wasn’t his Heiress!!”, Snape stood up from the bed and fixed his dark robes.

“Vesper…”, Dumbledore placed his hand on her shoulder. “You never mentioned that.”

She didn’t even bother to look up at the Headmaster, fearing that the tears would found their way down to her cheeks.

“Look at her!!”, Severus hissed. “She’s acting regretful now!! I pity you, Mallory. You are the worst person I have ever met in my life!”

“You should stop now, my boy…”, Poppy fearfully mumbled.

“What did you give him in return for the potion, Vesper?”, Dumbledore soothingly caressed her shoulder and Vesper broke down, crying silently.

“Most likely, she gave her full devotion to him!”, the black-haired wizard spat aggressively.

Vesper had enough of his attitude so she shifted her blurry gaze up to him and smiled the saddest smile could anyone ever see. “No, my beloved friend. I gave him the opportunity to claim my body as his… Not a big deal.”

That took aback Severus and his expression changed from enraged to shocked upon hearing her words. “You… You did it for… me?”, he stuttered.

“I didn’t do it just yet…”, she shook her head and wiped the thick tears away from her face.

“You must not do this, Vesper”, the Headmaster withdrew his hand from her shoulder. “It’s dangerous.”

“It’s dangerous for my soul, not my body. I can’t get pregnant. He’s not a human any more…”

“I’m well aware of that but still, you can’t do this”, Dumbledore said.

“Of course you can’t!!”, Poppy loudly said in horror.

“If I don’t do this, he will definitely kill Severus afterwards and no one can stop him…”, she sat at the corner of an empty bed and leaned her face into her cold palms.

“You will do it for me?”

“Severus you sound like a broken record…”, Vesper looked up at him and sighed. “I owe you.”

“No, you don’t”, he frowned. “What happened in the past can’t be compared to what you are willing to do now, Vesper.”

“Oh dear Lord”, Poppy gasped out of the blue and startled them all. “I should go check my patients! I totally forgot about them! Excuse me…”, she ran to the door and left them looking at her.

“I, myself, should go back to my office”, Dumbledore eyed them. “You two need some time alone. Vesper…”, he turned to the witch. “Be careful. I know you can’t escape the deal but we will be here when you come back. I promise…”

“Thank you Headmaster…”, she nodded and averted her gaze, now staring at the floor again.

Dumbledore walked out of the room and silence spread around the place. Severus joined her on the bed and looked at her.

“Forgive me for what I said earlier…”, he mumbled and Vesper nodded indifferently. “I didn’t mean it.”

“Deep down you do believe I’m a filthy whore”, she shifted her cerulean gaze back to him. “I know you do.”

“You’re so wrong”, he shook his head. “I can’t believe you agreed on that…”

“And what should I do, Severus? I was running out of time. Your life is more precious than my body.”

“Actually it is not”, he looked back at her. “I know you regretted your past actions. No one, not even Dumbledore, would do such thing for me. I… Thank you”, he grimaced like he didn’t really want to thank her but Vesper knew all too well that he was sincere. The smallest smile appeared on her tired face.

“I have to go back”, she stood up unwillingly. “He’s waiting for me. The Dark Mark is burning my arm…”

He stood up as well and surprisingly he put his hands on her shoulders. “Let me join you.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “A threesome?”, she joked unhappily.

Severus rolled his black eyes and glared at her. “I want to make sure that you will be safe. Let me come with you.”

“No, it’s too risky”, she declared. “I must go alone. Just be here when I come back. I am sure I will need all the healing potions you have in your storage for my body to recover from his brutality.”

“Shut up, witch. I’m coming”, he bluntly pulled her into his arms and flew out of the broken window surrounded by black smoke.


End file.
